How To Protect Your Credit Card Collection

Storing your credit cards properly is crucial in the long-term preservation of these items in pristine condition. Most collectors and ordinary credit card owners use soft polyvinyl-type storage holders.

There’s nothing surprising about that, since these storage materials are readily available. They come in different sizes and can be used to protect various items, like photos and documents.

Beware of plastic deterioration

Some people who have used the same soft polyvinyl-type storage for several years protecting documents like insurance policies have probably noticed significant deterioration in the plastic.

The document that it is supposed to protect may have also deteriorated as gooey residue of the deteriorated plastic has accumulated over the years.

The importance of storage

I can’t emphasize the importance of proper storage enough. I believe that the best storage products on the market today are offered by the E&T Kointainer Company. The particular problem we are referring to is mentioned in their sales literature:

“The most commonly used storage method in numismatics today is the “vinyl flip” – and is now recognized as one of the most dangerous storage methods. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is the raw material used to make these flips, a plastic so unsuitable for archival use that museums refuse to consider it.

“We have received many reports of dealers telling customers that their brand of 2X2 flips are “non PVC” when in fact they are selling or using PVC flips. It seems that there is ignorance of what the term PVC means. If the flip is made of vinyl, then the flip is PVC which stands for the full name of the plastic Polyvinyl Chloride.

“There are several kinds of PVC flips of varying degrees of softness. The harder vinyl flips, called “unplasticized”, are still PVC and have the long term problem of hydrogen chloride release as the vinyl degrades over time.

“You may hear tales like “I’ve used these flips for X years and had no problems” but you can find just as many disaster tales from collectors with ruined coins that dealers won’t buy.”

Where to buy proper storage protection

The Kointainer Company sells a mylar 2X2 flip which is considered the ultimate in long term storage protection. I store my charge coins in mylar flips. I also use mylar flips, which I cut to size, for storing paper credit cards. Kointainer also sells the solvent trichlorotrifluoroethane. This solvent is used to remove contaminants from metal surfaces. I protect all my charge coins with this solvent.

You can contact E & T Kointainer Company, for literature on their complete product line. The company has changed ownership in 2020. Bernard A. Nagengast, who owned the company for four decades, has retired. Randy A. Moore, associated with Nagengast and E&T Kointainer for the past 11 years, has bought the business. The company continues its specialized products.

Finding a suitable mylar holder

I’ve looked for a suitable mylar holder for plastic credit cards. There’s always something wrong with the holders I examine. They’re generally the wrong size or too awkward to work with. That’s why, for the time being, I store my credit cards in the 2-5/16″ X 3-5/8″ glassine envelopes. These are typically available at stamp hobby shops.

Copyright 1986 by Greg Tunks

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Frequently asked questions

You can find out the value of old credit cards by checking how much similar cards sell for. There are several ways to do this.

The simplest way to determine the value of old credit cards is to ask an experienced collector. If you submit an inquiry via our contact form, we can connect you with an expert who can assist you and point out if there is anything rare or unusual in your collection.

Alternatively, you can become a member of the American Credit Card Collectors Society. Membership in our credit card collecting club provides access to resources and knowledgeable members who can help. Benefits of membership include access to a gallery containing thousands of cards with historical pricing information, and access to our entire collection of newsletters, from 1994 through the present day.

You can look at recent sales on auction sites, however, there are some considerations to keep in mind when doing this. Firstly, it’s important to look at selling prices, rather than asking prices. Selling prices are the prices people actually paid, while asking prices can be very different. Secondly, historical sales on some sites are only saved for 3 months, so you may not find something that exactly matches what you have. Thirdly, it is sometimes possible to see rare or unusual cards sell for lower prices than they should have because people do not understand their worth, the ads don't do justice to the card, they're listed in the wrong category, or any combination thereof.

There are always people in our club who are actively buying cards. Collectors tend to focus on a niche, like gas cards or retail cards, or they might focus on a slightly broader area, like bank cards or travel and entertainment cards. Many of the rarest or most unusual cards will exchange hands in private sales. Please contact us if you are thinking of selling your collection.

You can also sell your old credit cards on online marketplaces. You will get the highest price if you sell each of your cards individually, although this approach requires the most effort. At the opposite end of the effort scale would be selling all cards as a job lot, an approach which typically results in the lowest price on a per-card basis. Halfway between these two approaches would be to group cards into different categories and to sell these individual groups, e.g., BankAmericard, Master Charge, oil and gas, retail, and so on.

To join the club, visit the membership section and complete the registration form. You can pay by check or PayPal. We offer annual or lifetime memberships. If you have any questions please contact us via the form on our website.

Credit cards are more worthwhile collecting if they are rare, in good condition, have historical significance, or are associated with famous personalities or events. Valuable modern cards might include those that are difficult to obtain, such as American Express Centurion (a.k.a. ‘black’) cards, while older credit cards might include early independent bank cards, American Express, Diners Club, or BankAmericard (Visa) cards from the 50s/early 60s, or Master Charge (MasterCard) cards from the late 60s. Rare or unusual cards can also be sought after, such as those issued in small numbers, like small independent department stores or gas stations, or cards with appealing aesthetics.

Consulting with other collectors or experts in the club can provide valuable insights. Contact us for more information via the form on our website.

We do not offer an appraisal service in a traditional sense (such services are normally a paid service) but we can connect you with an expert who should be able to assist for free and point out anything rare or unusual in your collection. The simplest way to do this is to submit an inquiry via our contact form.

The American Credit Card Collectors Society accepts donations and is most grateful for any we receive. When donations happen, we strive to find good homes for cards where they will be looked after, matching cards with collectors who will appreciate them. The club may charge members a nominal fee for donated cards, and the proceeds are offset against the running costs of our club. We are a non-profit organization. Running costs include expenses like our convention and website hosting. Donations are most popular for people getting out of the hobby, or when someone has inherited a collection and doesn’t know what to do with it.

If you wish to donate your collection, please contact us via the contact form above.

American Credit Card Collectors Society